One-pot synthesis of stable NIR tetracene diimides via double cross-coupling

Tetracene tetracarboxylic diimides have been synthesized based on direct double ring extension of electron-deficient naphthalene diimides involving metallacyclopentadienes. Atomic structure and electronic transitions responsible for their NIR absorption spectra are investigated with quantum-chemical calculations. In light of their unique structure and admirable photophysical and electronic properties, this new molecular skeleton is promising candidate for n-type semiconductors.     

Cosmologies with Variable G and Λ from Action Principle

Cosmologies with variable G and are developed in this paper from an action principle, and some exact cosmological models are presented. These models indicate that the era of variable G and must have occurred, if at all, prior to other possible eras like radiation and dust.     

Anatase nanotubes as support for platinum nanocrystals

Anatase nanotubes were successfully produced via the sol–gel process involving organic titanium precursors and multi-walled carbon nanotubes as template. Controlled heat treatments were carried out in order to remove any solvents and to crystallise the initial amorphous titania coating into anatase. In order to use these structures for catalyst support, platinum particles were formed by the impregnation with hexachloroplatinic acid and subsequent calcination and reduction to obtain a final loading of 4 wt% platinum. This impregnation step was carried out either with the carbon nanotube former still present with subsequent heat treatment to remove the carbonaceous template (sample A) or with the carbon nanotube former already removed (sample B). The materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.     

Effects of ozone in surface modification and thermal stability of SEBS block copolymers

SEBS block copolymers were treated under mild conditions in an ozone atmosphere, producing very slightly chemically-modified surfaces. The thermal stability was analysed by chemiluminescence and related to morphological changes observed by AFM. The intrinsic thermal stability was diminished by ozone exposure, but the oxidation induction times were delayed which indicates an enhancement of thermal stability under oxidative conditions. Also, chemiluminescence analysis showed the presence of a typical order-disorder transition at temperatures around 120 °C. Two different sets of samples which showed different morphological patterns were imaged by AFM. The effects of micro-domain separation and inter-domain structure on thermal properties are discussed and explained by a coarsening of the internal interface induced by ozone. A detailed 2D Fourier transformed analysis of AFM images allowed us to identify a regular wrinkled nano-pattern induced by uniaxial strain combined with ozone treatment, offering new opportunities in applications ranging from organic electronics to bio-patterning.     

Fabrication of ZnO:Mn nanoparticles with organic shell in a highly alkaline aqueous environment

Synthesis of undoped and Mn doped ZnO nanoparticles by an inclusive co precipitation method and in situ capping with heteromultifunctional organic stabilizer mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) in a core shell structure, in highly alkaline aqueous matrix have been accomplished. Near room temperature synthesis resulted in high quality monophasic wurtzite hexagonal structure of rod shaped nanoparticles of bare ZnO:Mn with no signature of dopant as separate phase. MSA capping resulted in nanoball like formation. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and FTIR confirmed MSA capping. ZnO: Mn particles emit in orange and red when excited by UV and blue light. Surface modification makes the nanoparticles hydrophilic with active organic surface easy for bioconjugation with any ligand and can have applications in drug delivery or as nanoscale fluorescent probe in a biological system.     

Compounds having thiourea moiety as derivatization reagents in liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI‐MS/MS): synthesis of derivatization reagents for carboxylic acids

The derivatization reagents for carboxylic acids, N‐(Pyridin‐3‐yl)hydrazinecarbothioamide, N‐[4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl]hydrazinecarbothioamide, 1‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐3‐(pyridin‐3‐yl)thiourea, 1‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐3‐[4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl]thiourea and 4‐(2‐aminoethyl)‐N‐phenylpiperazine‐1‐carbothioamide were synthesized. These reagents reacted with carboxylic acids at 60°C for 45 min in the presence of the condensation reagents. The generated derivatives were favorably separated on the reversed‐phase column and sensitively detected by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. These reagents enhanced the electrospray ionization response of the analyte and generated a particular product ion efficiently by collision‐induced dissociation, and thus they were suitable for MS/MS detection. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of syndiotactic trans‐1,2 and cis‐1,2 polyhexadienes

The (E) isomer in mixtures of (E) and (Z) 1,3‐hexadiene was polymerized with the system CoCl₂(PⁱPrPh₂)₂‐MAO, a highly active and stereospecific catalyst for the preparation of 1,2 syndiotactic polybutadiene. A new crystalline polymer with a melting point of 109 °C was obtained. The polymer was characterized by IR, NMR (¹³C, ¹H in solution and ¹³C in the solid‐state), X‐ray diffraction, DSC, GPC and it was found to have a trans‐1,2 syndiotactic structure with a 5.18 ± 0.04 Å fiber periodicity. Since only the (E) isomer was polymerized, at the end of the reaction we were able to separate the (Z) isomer, which was ultimately polymerized with CpTiCl₃‐MAO at low temperature, obtaining a low molecular weight, stereoregular polymer that, characterized by IR and NMR methods, was found to exhibit a cis‐1,2 syndiotactic structure, never reported before. Molecular mechanics calculations were carried out on the trans‐1,2 syndiotactic polymer and structural models consistent with the X‐ray diffraction data are proposed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5339–5353, 2007     

Synthetic hosts for molecular recognition of ureas

Four hosts (7-10) containing 2,6-bisamidopyridine- and 2,5-bisamidopyrrole-bearing pyridyl or 1,8-naphthyridyl groups have been prepared and their structures studied by a combination of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Their behavior in molecular recognition of urea derivatives, including (+)-biotin methyl ester, has been approached by molecular modeling (Monte Carlo conformational search, AMBER force field). The minimum energy values for the complexes are correlated with the experimental binding energies determined by means of (1)H NMR titrations.